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Max grinned back. “You’re the closest we’ve got. Plus, I don’t know how long the dog’s been there and you’re the best person to check out her health. If she’s having any problems bring her straight to the practice, okay?”
“You know, if they weren’t bulldozering that place they wouldn’t be upsetting all the animals who’ve made it their home,” Brooke pointed out. “I can’t imagine how many of them are going to have to find somewhere else to live. Those hotel buildings have been standing empty for decades and suddenly they’re all getting turfed out.”
“That’s the price of progress,” Max said, shrugging his shoulders. “And at least they called us to come and help. Better than the alternative.”
She shivered. The alternative generally meant the animals being euthanized before they had a chance to save them. Max was right, at least they were giving them a chance first.
“By the way, how did your assignment go?” Max asked her as he lead the big dog into a pen, making sure he was settled before closing the door.
“It was tough, but I managed to get it in before the deadline.” She raised her eyebrows. “Just.”
“Only a few more to go and you’ll be finished.”
“Plus all those exams.” Brooke wrinkled her nose. “If I get through the next few months alive I’ll be amazed. Nick’s already told me he doesn’t want to go to college when he’s older. He says it looks too hard.”
Max laughed. “When it’s over we’ll have to throw you a big party. Ellie’s been asking for weeks when you’re coming around for dinner. I keep telling her you’re busy.”
“I’ll call her later.” Brooke felt bad. Ellie Jenkins had been as much a friend to her as Max had been, taking her under their wing as she studied for the past few years. “We miss her, too. Nick keeps asking when we can go and see Shadow.” He’d fallen in love with the Jenkins’ horse as soon as he’d first met him, the gentle giant leaning down to allow Nick to feed him some oats. “I wish there were more than twenty-four hours in a day.”
“I don’t. We both work enough of them as it is. Speaking of which,” he glanced at his watch, “I’d better go. My first surgery starts in half an hour.” He checked the big dog one more time before he lifted his hand to wave at Clara who was sitting in the office surrounded by paper. If there was anybody who worked harder than Max, it was the director of the animal shelter. Between running this place and raising the funds for it, she spent most of her life in that office.
Clara looked up and waved back with her free hand, the other holding a phone to her ear as she shouted down the mouthpiece.
“Good luck at the hotel,” Max told Brooke as he grabbed his black leather case and headed toward the door. “And don’t forget to have a good look around. Ellie will want to know all about it.”
“Oh I will.” Brooke was as intrigued as the rest of them about what was happening at the Silver Sands Resort. Grabbing some supplies and a blanket, Brooke waved at Clara – who was still on the phone – and headed out to her car, putting the bag into the trunk and sliding into the driver’s seat.
Glancing in the mirror, she allowed herself one last yawn before she turned the ignition key and the engine rumbled to life.
It was time to go and save a dog.
3
For as long as Brooke could remember, the Silver Sands Resort had been derelict. Thanks to the tall tales her friends would tell each other, she’d been afraid of it as a child. Stories about angry ghost clowns and headless chamber maids, all determined to wreak their revenge on small children.
As a teenager she’d seen the resort a little differently. A blush stole its way up her neck as she remembered the things she’d done here. The way she’d been kissed, touched, held…
She’d become an expert at compartmentalizing in the past ten years, pushing down the memories that caused her pain. And she wasn’t ready to think about them now, either. Not when she had
a job to do. Breathing in a sharp mouthful of air, she pulled her car into the construction lot outside the ten-foot fence, and grabbed her bag and the blanket. Though she couldn’t see a thing through the thick wooden boards, she could hear the hum of machinery and the occasional shout as workers called to each other.
At the gate she pressed the buzzer, adjusting her ponytail and tucking the stray hairs behind her ears. She was still wearing her green scrubs – her habitual clothing when she was working with animals. They were roomy enough for her to bend and lift an animal easily, but thick enough to withstand the kind of wear and tear which came from working closely with animals.
“Hello?” a voice echoed through the speaker.
“My name’s Brooke Newton. I’m from the Angel Sands Animal Shelter. I’ve come to look at a dog.”
The connection crackled.
“Please wait there. Somebody will come let you in.”
“Thank you.” Brooke stepped back and looked around. To her right were the golden sands of Silver Cove, leading down to the sparkling Pacific Ocean. The waves lapped gently against the shore as though they were in no rush to arrive or leave, and a gentle draft rustled through the palm trees lining the edge of the beach. The same breeze caressed her skin. For a second she closed her eyes and let the warm Californian sun invigorate her, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips as she inclined her head to the sky.
“Miss Newton?”
She opened her eyes quickly and saw a tall man standing in front of her. In jeans and a thick shirt, his brown hair was mostly covered by a yellow hard hat, another in his hand.
“Yes, that’s me.”
